The Days of Cyber Security Enterprise Militia Are Numbered

Incidents occur, tensions rise and rhetoric increases as business leaders react and politicians look for solutions. Short of a declaration, the world is at war. Cyber war.

Like all wars, it’s the people who suffer as their world is compromised forever. Banks raided, digital lives held to ransom, identities stolen, on-line accounts compromised, credit ratings destroyed and future opportunity lost to nervousness or impotence.

It doesn’t stop there. Your enterprise may be an easy target, or beach-head to a higher goal; have desirable data, lucrative client data or IP; be cash rich, or even pose an international threat. That you lose trade, credibility, business, or global standing along the way is inconsequential. The rewards are high, few are caught, and odds are stacked.

The enemy is highly organized: distributed, collaborative and expert in subterfuge and camouflage. Fully incentivized, they follow the sun, don’t declare themselves, and don’t wear uniforms – usually. The battle front is every single connected device, and the cyber war is being waged relentlessly through every application, network and server in the land, before even considering staff allegiance.

Yet enterprises act like militias. Each straining to compete in a 21st Century digital arms race, while being outflanked by highly disruptive competitors. They grapple with militia skillsets and stretched resources, escalating demands, and orders of compliance – and time and again they come up short. For some, the reality is starting to become clear that you can no longer ‘go it alone’. Others, blinded by battle fatigue, tactically chase the next fight, without the strategic oversight to win the cyber war.

I’ve drawn on this analogy because there are many who still believe cyber security is a job like any other – but it’s not. There is little room for error. A month’s slippage on a backfill won’t bring a company to its knees, but monitoring less than 24/7 can do just that. It’s a critical and complex defence role that needs leadership, solutions at scale, orchestration and risk balanced execution because every single part of the business relies on it.

You’re exposed on your own, but, in the same way, NATO safeguards the freedom and security of its members in the Northern Hemisphere, HPE offers Managed Security Services – collective defence and cooperative security that exceeds the sum of the parts.

We recognize every enterprise is unique so offer flexible options to integrate and amplify security. Our 10 Intelligent Security Operations Centers provide unmatched scale and global lines of sight. Intelligence distilled from 1000s of clients and innumerable attacks mean our combined threat radar reaches far beyond your horizon. Automation supports the front line by scanning, patching, monitoring and updating systems in and out of the line of fire. Advanced algorithms track behaviours so even the most clandestine attacker can be stopped. Whether it’s protect, detect or respond, MSS advanced skills and technologies are designed to extend both strategic and tactical solutions.

As Commander in Chief it’s time to take a step back from the front line and consider a strategic defence partnership. One that offers collaboration, compliance, innovation and scale – orchestrated to protect your enterprise, data, applications and reputation. So the next time you find yourself under cyber attack, ensure your adversaries come up against an army of honed professionals; globally equipped for cutting edge cyber warfare, and on your terms. That way, while they attack relentlessly, you’ll already have them outflanked, so for everyone else, it’ll be business as usual.

Thousands have already made their choice to join up and amplify their defences. Explore the journey now and make Managed Security Services part of your cyber battle plan. But whatever you do, don’t wait for the formal declaration of cyber war!

Author: Gary Roberts

Gary’s 35 year career spans security consulting, mega-deal solutioning and governance, product management, sales and marketing. His passion for cyber security started with mainframe computers before collaboratively writing and implementing the UK Government IT Security Standards. More recently, a post graduate degree saw him teach Information Communications Technology to 11-18 year olds. He now mixes his cyber security consulting and marketing skills to make the world a safer place.